Today again, I thought I would share with you four “must read” articles that will make you rethink — rethink marketing, rethink business, rethink work and rethink life. I read a lot of great content online. I share a lot of it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+, but today I’ll share four that I think are particularly amazing. They’re not necessarily articles that are related to marketing, business, work and life, but you can apply it to those areas.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did

• [Rethink Marketing] Official: Google Confirms “Conversational search” is live on Chrome. This might not sound like much or it might not sound like a marketing lesson, but it is. What Conversational search is, it allows you to search Google through voice command on your computer (you’ll need Google’s browser for that). The cool element is this: you can converse with it. Let’s say you ask it to search for “Barack Obama,” Google will deliver some results. If you want to refine your search all you need to say is “when was he first elected to office?” and Google will know you’re talking about President Obama and deliver those results. Whenever I see something like that I can’t help but think of marketing and how quickly our world is evolving. Sure this will probably impact some SEO stuff, but I’m talking on a much larger scale. On the one hand it’s hard to make sense of it all; on the other, we need to move with it. Scary and so very exciting. How are you keeping up with it all?

• [Rethink Business] Carney’s parting advice: Capitalize on Canada’s natural advantages. One reason Canada did so well compared to the other G7 countries during the current economic crisis is Mark Carney, the soon-to-be ex-governor of the Bank of Canada. He accepted the job at the Bank of England — a country that’s still struggling from the downturn. The policies he implemented helped Canada weather the storm so to speak. I don’t know that he deserves all the credit, but part of it for sure. In his last public speech before leaving, he argued that Canada needs to develop its strengths, expand in developing regions and “continuously invest in our workforce. With technology and trade transforming the workplace, the need to improve skills across the spectrum of work has never been greater.” Whether you’re a Canadian company or not, there’s a lesson here. What does this mean for you? Are you expanding your client-base beyond the US and Europe? Are you investing in your skills and technology? That’s where the future lies… I think the advice works for everyone from small and large businesses to freelancers and entrepreneurs.

• [Rethink Work] Retirement is not an option. It’s the beginning of the end. Pickens is somewhat of a financial tycoon. He turned 85 this week and isn’t planning to retire anytime soon. Although his behaviour might be extreme for some people, it’s his philosophy I admire. More and more of us have the incredible opportunity to do the work we love and when you achieve that, it doesn’t feel like work and you can go on forever. Are you still working for your weekends? Are you just waiting for retirement?

• [Rethink Life] Ken Robinson: How to escape education’s death valley. Our world is changing and fast. Look around you. It’s hard to deny. Yet, education is still teaching our kids how to operate in an industrial age. Are we teaching our kids the skills they need to succeed? Our education focuses on conformity and averages and it prepares them to look for jobs that frankly might not exist by the time they are done with school. Sir Ken Robinson tackles this theme again in his third TED Talk. His Talks are some of the most watched and with reason. If you have 18 minutes, do yourself a favour and learn how we can escape education’s death valley.

What are you reading right now?

(Photo credit: David Sifry)

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Today again, I thought I would share with you four “must read” articles that will make you rethink — rethink marketing, rethink business, rethink work and rethink life. I read a lot of great content online. I share a lot of it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+, but today I’ll share four that I think are particularly amazing. They’re not necessarily articles that are related to marketing, business, work and life, but you can apply it to those areas.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did

• [Rethink Marketing] Lead up: Are you happy with your customers? How are your projects? What about the last campaign’s results? Why is that? Is the customer difficult? Maybe the project manager didn’t cut it? The campaign didn’t work as well because the email marketing tool didn’t do what you wanted it to do? It might be time to lead up. “In many ways, we get the bosses and clients we deserve. If they’re holding you back, change them.” I think marketers often spend way too much time complaining and not enough leading, changing and making.
• [Rethink Business] Facebook is about to launch a huge play in “big data” analytics. I’ve been thinking a lot about Facebook recently. I’m not sure why exactly. I’ve actually been spending a lot less time there and more on LinkedIn and Twitter. But the company fascinates me. How could it not, 1 billion users sharing some personal information without always realizing it. During my University days one of my marketing professors said about McDonald’s — “basically what they’re telling their customers is this: ‘you’ll come in, wait in line for food, eat it in uncomfortable chairs and then clear your own table.’ If you told anyone this was your plan for a restaurant, they’d tell you you were crazy.” That’s exactly what Facebook has done. “We’ll give you a place where you can share and interact with your Friends and favourite brands 24 hours a day and in exchange we get all your information…more than you can imagine.” Right now, “[m]ost ordinary Facebook users don’t realize how ambitious these plans are. If you bought something with a credit or debit card in the last couple of years, you’re probably in Facebook’s data pool right now.” They’re betting that there’s a clear, important and valuable connection between impressions and purchases. I think business can learn something about setting down a path that, on paper, makes no sense.
• [Rethink Work] Barron’s: Facebook is still overvalued: Let’s stick with Facebook for a bit. According to the financial newspaper Barron’s, Facebook stock is still overvalued despite recent gains. At the time the article was written, Facebook was trading at more than 75 times its earnings (compare that to Google which trades at 20 times), this despite warnings that some of its ad revenues might drop. And that’s exactly the problem “Facebook seems more focused on barraging subscribers with ads to meet Street profit expectations.” They compare that with Google’s initiatives — they’ve been “investing in a range of products, from YouTube, self-driving cars, interactive eye wear, maps and Android software.” I’m not sure if it’s a fair comparison considering Google is 14 years old, but it does pose an interesting question: is it better to be a one trick pony with a laser focused drive or kind of play in different sandboxes to apply and integrate learnings? Is it even an either/or type of situation?
• [Rethink Life] Meditation produces opposite effect of “fight or flight”: I’ve been meditating semi regularly since my meditation challenge (part of my Hack Your Life Project). Yes it does reduce anxiety and stress. But did you know it can actually change your gene activity? “Specifically, genes associated with energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, and telomere maintenance are turned on, while those involved in inflammation are turned off.” That’s pretty much the opposite of the “fight or flight” mechanism. In more scientific terms, “[p]eople who practice simple meditation aren’t ‘just relaxing,’ explained the study’s senior author, Dr. Herbert Benson. Instead, they’re experiencing ‘a specific genomic response that counteracts the harmful genomic effects of stress’.” I’m guessing that means meditation not only helps you deal with daily stress by helping you focus your attention, it physiologically helps you deal with it.

What are you reading right now?

(Photo credit: David Sifry)

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I’ve been thinking about Facebook these past few days. It’s become clear what they’re gambling their future on the integration of online and offline behavior  That integration isn’t new — anything from Google Glass to the Up bracelet to the Internet of things and even your mobile phone are just that that. Facebook’s push though is a gamble.

The problem

Facebook’s problem, so to speak, has been to generate revenues in line with expectations. Granted the ads bring in quite a bit of cash, but it’s well below the potential of a billion users. But in all honesty, I don’t think Mark is losing any sleep over this.

What he might be losing sleep over is this. The site was originally built as that — a website. Facebook’s challenges started appearing with the arrival of the first iPhones and iPads. Facebook was always about connecting with Friends, acquaintances and to some extent brands that we liked when we weren’t with them. And the social networking site still has a stronghold on that I think. But what does Facebook mean when you and I are up-and-about; when we’re at work or shopping or having dinner. I don’t need Facebook to interact with Starbucks’ Page if I’m standing in line waiting for my latte.

The gamble

So Facebook decided to gamble. It partnered with data vendors Datalogix, Epsilon, Acxiom and BlueKai. In a nutshell, those companies provide advertisers with customer segments like “soda drinkers” or “cat lovers” based on offline purchases. In other words, if you go to a pet store and purchase cat food on a regular basis with your credit card or swipe your Airmiles card each time — you’re tagged as a “cat lover.”

Facebook’s partnership is presumably to allow advertisers to target “cat lovers” while on Facebook, even if you don’t “Like” any cat-related Pages or Groups. For example, let’s say there’s a customer segment called “electronics lovers.” Best Buy could place ads in those users feed and ultimately match that back with offline purchases. They could even send specific discounts to that group as they enter a Best Buy store.

We know social interactions favour purchases, the gamble is in knowing if these ads will move the needle enough.

Another layer

Rumours that Facebook is trying to attempt to purchase Waze — the social GPS application — is further indication that the site wants to merge data from online behavior with that of offline behaviour. If this were to happen, it would presumably mean that Facebook would know if I pass not too far from a Best Buy each day on my way to work and yet again hit me up with an ad.

It’s nothing new

As I mentioned, this fusion of offline and online is nothing new. Other sites like LinkedIn have been bridging the online/offline gap since the beginning. If I’m in HR, I can see how many candidates I’ve recruited through LinkedIn. Ultimately Facebook is trying to contextualize it’s ads beyond the behavior on it’s site or network — think Minority Report.

(Photo credit: Conor Odle)

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Today I thought I would share with you four “must read” articles that will make you rethink — rethink marketing, rethink business, rethink work and rethink life. I read a lot of great content online. I share some of it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+, but today I’ll share four that I think are particularly amazing. They’re not necessarily articles that are related to marketing, business, work and life, but you can apply it to those areas.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:

• [Rethink Marketing] Use Sales Linguistics to Structure Winning Presentations: Marketers spend a lot of time presenting to clients, small crowds or big auditoriums. We present to clients, colleagues, bosses and peers. Why? To sell our ideas. This article helps you understand how to structure your presentations to get your point across. Learn about Situational Dominance, Behaviour Interruption, Commands, Foreground and Background Suggestions.
• [Rethink Business] Homegrown Retailers Falling Behind as Canadians Embrace E-Commerce: The Globe and Mail article outlines how some Canadian retailers have fallen behind…way behind their American counterparts when it comes to E-Commerce. As Canadians are getting more comfortable with purchasing online, their loyalty to Canadian brands and businesses is suffering. They are heading south of the border (virtually that is) to do their shopping despite the higher shipping and custom fees. This articles highlights the consequences of ignoring the digital space for too long. At some point you just won’t be able to catch-up. I hope it’s a lesson for all; digital is here to stay (it’s 2013, I don’t think I should have to say this).
• [Rethink Work] AP Twitter Hack Causes Panic on Wall Street and Sends Down Plunging: This article fits in each category. On Tuesday April 23rd the Associated Press’s Twitter account got hacked and announced an explosion in the White House. Wall Street freaked out. The Dow plunged 143 points. Did you feel it? Probably not, the losses were quickly recovered. So what’s the big story here? The reason the Dow plunged so fast is that increasingly Wall Street is guided by algorithms that scour news sources like Twitter, analyse sentiment and trade stocks accordingly. The algorithms read “explosion at the White House, President Obama injured.” which means sell, sell, sell. Limited human intervention needed. Of course they’ll rectify and the algorithms will get “smarter.” But think about this… How easily can your work be replaced by an algorithm? Trading stocks seems like a complicated process of analysis and evaluation, but if you break it down enough, computers can do it (and get tricked, just like their human counterparts). I’m not saying it’s good or bad, I’m just saying…think about it. We are still at the early phases of an increasingly complex digitalized and robotized world. Like it or not, it’s happening. Fascinating question.
• [Rethink Life] The Secret Workings of the World’s Central Bankers: Let’s stick to the world of finance. This radio interview highlights some of the workings of the world’s top Central Bankers. Their mandate is to keep world economies stable and predictable. They’re currently printing tons of money and at the same time keeping interests incredibly low. In a way wiping out the savings of a generation who was told to “save their money.” My aim here isn’t to be all doomy and gloomy, but it’s to say this — how much influence do you think you have over your future? While it’s impossible to have complete control, I know that; but in a world that’s becoming increasingly complex (in large part due to digitization and robotization…see previous link), the answer has somehow been to simplify. Don’t wait for a saviour.

What links would you like to share?

(Photo credit: David Sifry)

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We were talking about goals in this week’s newsletter and it got me thinking about marketing goals. I think marketers need to get a whole lot better at goal setting. Let me explain.

There are four items that I think can be improved… Meaningful goals; clear definitions; team buy-in; and expertise.

1. Meaningful goals or lack thereof are arguably the biggest issue. For example, increasing Facebook Likes is not a meaningful goal by itself. Each business has a model which defines how they make money. Your marketing goals need to be aligned at some level with that. So let’s say you’re a media company and you make money from advertising, your goals should be related to increasing traffic. In that context increasing Likes and engagement on Facebook makes sense if you notice traffic coming from the site.
2. Clear definitions go hand-in-hand with item 1. “We’ll increase Facebook Likes” is not clear. “We’ll increase Likes by xy% by doing a and b” is better. Makes sense?
3. Getting the team on board. Goals need to be shared with the team. Often they’re given in a vacuum. Each team member should know what your overall goals is and what others’ objectives are.
4. Expertise. One reason we marketers have a hard time with goals is expertise. Many marketers are not very comfortable with numbers like ROI. So if you work at a larger organization, if you get it, there’s a good chance someone above you doesn’t. Or if they do, they have a hard time explaining it in the context of their business. If you’re an entrepreneur/freelancer and you don’t have a marketing background, goal setting and the logic that flows from it might not be your forte and that’s how you end up with strategies like “publish more blog posts” or “start a podcast.” What would make more sense there is “We have a strong written presence with a good readership on the site and newsletter, we need to reach out to potentials that prefer audio or video.”

Just a thought. What’s your take?

(Photo credit: Chris Metcalf)

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Do you follow the O.P.E.N. Routine?

I’ve known Chris Craft for a little while now. We met on Twitter, but never really had the chance to speak so I’m happy to have had the great opportunity to interview him about his new book — O.P.E.N Routine. The book is about personal branding and its 4 crucial components. He knows they’re crucial because he’s been applying them himself… and they’ve worked. He’s met a lot of great people along the way, has a beautiful family and a great career.

In the interview we go over all four components and quite a bit more…

I have to tell you, I’ve learned a few things from this book — it’s definitely helped me prioritize a few projects. I think you’ll enjoy it too.

Get the book today!

A little contest

Chris was gracious enough to give out a signed copy of the book! Write to me for your chance to win!

If you can’t see the video, click here.

Get the book!

[Keep in mind, it's the first time I did this, so the video quality might not be that great and at some point my cat went a little crazy…it's all part of the fun! We're definitely not in a studio here…]

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The answer’s got to be out there. It just hasn’t been found yet. There are more information sources than ever — TV, radio, tweets, posts, newsletters, status updates, picture, videos, school, work, meetings, projects, Amazon… More information, same amount of time and attention. The instinct is to catch up on all of it — the latest show and song, all the latest information, news and advice, all the latest stuff. The problem of course is that it’s not sustainable — in an ideal world I can’t ever consume more than 24 hours each day (but there’s that pesky sleep thing that keeps getting in the way).

I’ve heard this advice before

Eckhart Tolle says

“Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.”

The solution might just be in Chris’s next podcast or Timothy’s next post. While they’re both great, I think we know that’s not where my creativity lies. That’s not where I’ll find the answers to how I’ll get the project off the ground. The answer isn’t with their next podcast or blog post or tweet or update either for that matter. It’s actually with less.

This isn’t new advice — work on what matters first; answer emails, tweets and Facebook inquiries second. But yet, the hope is still that the answer is out there.

Why is this?

Why do I keep hoping to consume more? It could be the fear of missing out (FOMO) — I do need to know about the 20 most downloaded apps and the 13 ways to become a better entrepreneur and the number 1 thing I’m doing that’s preventing me from being a better leader — right?

I think the full answer is that if I take a moment to be completely still — no blog posts, no newsletters, no podcasts, no tweets — and I look for creativity and solutions, I’ll find answers I don’t wannt to hear. Maybe it’s not that the new project needs more promotion, it’s that it isn’t any good. There will always be sort of answer out there, but ultimately, I’ll need to ask the important questions.

Stillness

And that’s precisely why goals aren’t achieved. We’re busy — very busy — looking for answers out there, when all along they’re with us. We’re just afraid to ask the questions and listen to the answers.

(Photo credit: Thomas Leuthard)

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“A really incredible book — even if its subject matter has nothing to do with your situation — can help you understand your life and circumstances more clearly.” — Ayana Mathis

Blogs, newsletters and podcasts shed light on marketing practices, books stand on their own. They allow the author to dive into a subject and share her best insights. I’ve been a marketer for over 10 years now and books have been an integral part of that. They’ve allowed me to understand my marketing life and career and the circumstances of various strategies, tactics and situations more clearly. I’d like to share 5 books that have made all the difference.

1. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind (Affiliate link) by Al Ries and Jack Trout: Recommended to me by Julien Smith, this is an older marketing book that explains the ins and outs of brand positioning. How you position your brand as a start-up, freelancer, established company and even employee is vital. It’s what tells others who you are, why they should listen to you and more importantly, why they should buy. The best part is everyone forgets positioning. Apply it and you’ll have a leg up on the competition.
2. Marketing White Belt: Basics For the Digital Marketer (Affiliate link) by Christopher S. Penn: I like going back to basics. Every year or so I like picking up a marketing basics text. It reminds me of the fundamentals. If you have a strong foundation, you can withstand any change better than the next marketer. It’s a quick read by a very smart author.
3. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul (Affiliate link) by Howard Schultz. Ignore what you feel about Starbucks for a minute. It’s not a marketing book per say although in a way it’s a book about positioning. Or more specifically, it’s about what happens to your brand when you forget about positioning. What do you need to do to establish it in the first place and how to get it back. This is a must read for any person who works for a living.
4. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategic Marketing. Another one of those back to basics books. It’s actually a collection of essays from Harvard Business Review writers. Learn about branding in the digital age, marketing myopia, marketing malpractice, the one number thing you need to grow and to rethink marketing. It’s a book you’ll constantly go back to.
5. Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries (Affiliate link) by Peter Sims: I often forget about this book. Again, not exclusively a marketing book, it shows you how the best ideas come from small discoveries. In a constantly evolving world, marketers need to be nimble and quick. That doesn’t happen through big and broad tactics and initiatives. It happens one small step at a time.

Notice how none of them have to do with the web or social web directly? Once you grasp the basics like positioning, ROI, and marketing basics like the 4 Ps you’ll be a better marketer. Yesterday’s basics are today’s fuel.

What’s your favourite marketing book?

(Photo credit: Chris)

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A short detour

Every so often Peter Aceto, CEO of ING Direct Canada, pops-in to see his Customer Service Department. He takes the opportunity to get on the phone with ING customers and help them out. It allows him to learn about the needs of his clients and give them what they’re looking for. In turn he aligns the needs of the bank (more customers who place more money) with those of the customer (a simple, no BS bank with minimal fees).

Our digital and automated world has created abundance (more stuff for more people). In a world of abundance, the customer has choice. In a world of choice, disruption marketing (a.k.a. Advertising) has become less effective. So marketing has become about alignment.

As Winston Churchill said,

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

If you want to build a company that’s more; if you want to build a brand that’s more meaningful, if you want to build a life not a living, you have to give. If you can afford to give, it will make all the difference.

Align your company’s needs with those of your customers and prospects. Only once you’ve achieved that, will you be able to give and make a life for you and your company.

How to give to your customers?

Assuming you don’t have a Customer Service Department to drop by, here’s a little LinkedIn trick you can use.

Drop-in on your LinkedIn Connections with a daily hello. Each day send a message to your first degree connections that have checked-out your LinkedIn Profile.

By saying a simple hello, you’re opening the door to conversation that they might be hesitant to have – after all, [if they visit your profile] chances are they don’t want to be seen as a stalker following you. Assuage that fear with a friendly hello, and see where the conversation takes you.

Start a conversation, align and give.

Makes sense?

(Photo credit: JD Hancock)

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A little background first, yes? Marketing has been going through a (not so) subtle shift. You see, it used to be about us and the companies and firms that we worked for. More sales, more leads, more prospects, more brand recognition. At some point, a shift started and it became about them — the prospects and customers. Gone (or going) are the days when your needs are more important than theirs. Gone are the times when one cares about your discounts or deadlines.

Why did this shift happen?

There are a few factors that have contributed to the shift. The main one being abundance.

Abundance

Your company and firm you diligently marketed for has produced more and more. At the same time the Internet has allowed and encouraged us to be producers (bloggers, tweeters, web entrepreneurs). The end result is an abundance of things. Your company markets TV shows? There’s Apple TV, YouTube, Roku, Hulu, Vimeo and more for your customers to pick from. Your company markets furniture? There’s local stores, Amazon, Ikea, local chains, artisans, Ebay, Etsy and more that can fulfill our needs. For example, a local furniture store was having a one day sale this past weekend — we missed it. But that’s OK because one of the above will have another sale before this post goes live.

We live in a world of abundance accelerated by technology, robotics and cheap labour.

The next nail in the coffin of curation and scarcity is the so called maker movement. As 3D printers grow in ease-of-use and availability, the shift will further continue. It doesn’t matter if Home Depot has a sale on nails, I can print my own thank you very much.

Just a little karma

If you believe in karma, that’s the second reason for this shift. As businesses moved toward greater efficiency, the customer got tossed aside. Why? Because she doesn’t fit in a mould. Each customer with their own questions, concerns and problems. Yes, sometimes similar problems arise, but more often than not, they’re unique. But we’ve pushed them towards automated voice systems and FAQ sections when all customers want is connection with others.

Think of all the times you stretched or embellished the truth. Every time you’ve omitted a detail or two.

Well karma is biting us in the ass. Because now, it’s all out there; you can’t hide.

But there’s a business to grow you say

Yes, of course there is a business to grow but your thinking is flawed. Business doesn’t happen because of abundance, efficiency and automation — it happens despite of it. Actually, let me correct that. Business happens because automation and efficiency are implemented in the right place. Apple is moving back their manufacturing to the U.S. If you can get me computers faster and of a more consistent quality, great! Just pick up the phone and care when I have a problem. The goal, you’ll have guessed it, is to transfer the savings that happen on one end to caring and creating connections.

I wish there was a better word that caring. It sounds too kumbaya for business, but it’s time to shift how we think a business is built. It’s no longer about you, it’s about them. Your deadlines, deals and discounts no longer matter. Build on what is human, not what has the potential for efficiency.

What’s that have to do with content marketing?

In a word — everything. Content marketing has always been about them. So is utilitarian marketing. Don’t bastardize it. Before publishing your next post, tweet, newsletter or application ask yourself who does it benefit? If the answer is us then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Content marketing is about aligning your needs and goals with those of your customers and prospect. The actions of your company need to align — from what the CEO tweets to what your direct mailing campaign says. I think that’s where a lot of content that fails:

• On one side, it’s about us and what we care about or know about. If you’re marketing furniture, that’s your need. How does it align with mine?
• Or it’s on the other side of the spectrum, it’s all about them. If I write about LinkedIn and thousands of people read it each month; that’s their need, how does that align with me?

Before we leave, Mahatma Gandhi once said…

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Stick it up on your cubicle, because you and me, we need to live to service our prospects and customers.

(Photo credit: Jessica Garro)

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